Final answer:
In a water molecule, two hydrogen atoms are bonded to one oxygen atom by polar covalent bonds due to unequal sharing of electrons, creating a molecule with a partially positive charge on the hydrogens and a partially negative charge on the oxygen.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a single molecule of water, two hydrogen atoms are bonded to a single oxygen atom by polar covalent bonds. These are the kind of bonds where the electrons are shared between the atoms but are not shared equally. This inequality in electron sharing leads to a slight positive charge on the hydrogen atoms and a slight negative charge on the oxygen atom, creating a dipole moment. Because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, it attracts the shared electrons more strongly, leading to the polar nature of the water molecule.
Polar covalent bonds are distinct from nonpolar covalent bonds, which occur when atoms share electrons equally, such as in a molecule of oxygen (O2) or methane (CH4). They also differ from ionic bonds, where electrons are transferred from one atom to another, and hydrogen bonds, which are intermolecular forces that occur between polar molecules like water.